REPLACEMENT PARTS

"Gentlemen, we can review her....."

Just as an afterthought on Friday, I programmed "MacDivver" to record 'The Bionic Woman' on Sci-Fi. Figured that even though it has no bearing on Earth Prime-Time, I may as well check out the pilot episode; get a feeling for what they're going for with the new show.

And I gotta say, I liked it. Yeah, I know, I'm easy to please; I'm a tele-gourmand. But the action was fast-moving, the effects and fight sequences were well-executed, and the show can only benefit for getting Katee Sackhoff to appear as often as possible.

Still, the show must be sent off to that alternate TV dimension in which all remakes reside. (For want of a better term, I call that world Earth Prime-Time Delayed because most of the "residents" take place many years after the original versions, set in their own "current" time periods.)

The main Toobworld already has its own version of 'The Bionic Woman' from the mid 1970s, which was a spin-off from 'The Six Million Dollar Man'. The original Jamie Sommers came back, along with Colonel Steve Austin, in at least one TV movie reunion. It was a product of its time and as such belongs in that past of the Toobworld timeline.

Now the new version of 'The Bionic Woman' could have worked in the main Toobworld as well if the producers only acknowledged that their show was an extension of the original's world; that the passage of Time brought about incredible upgrades to the technology as well as bringing in new personnel to work on the project.

This is what always bugs me about TV show remakes (and certain movies as well): Why is it that the names of the characters have to be re-used? Had Michelle Ryan's character for the new show been given any other name, we could have made the assumption that she was the latest to receive the bio-tech upgrades. And perhaps at some point down the road - let's say, during February Sweeps? - Lindsay Wagner could have guest-starred in an episode as the original bionic woman, Jamie Sommers.

But no, the producers had to hit the magic reset button and give the show a complete do-over. And so off it must go to the world of TV remakes.

Still the basic premise of the new technology could be considered part of the main Toobworld. Even the reason for it - spurred on because of injuries resulting from the first Gulf War - works in conjunction with the established TV timeline. It's the prospect of having yet another bionic woman with the name of Jamie Sommers that can't be incorporated.

That alternate TV dimension is still like the main Toobworld in that it would share common fictional locations found only in other TV shows that still remain on Earth Prime-Time. And the new version of 'The Bionic Woman' had a major one show up in its pilot.

The top secret installation where Jamie Sommers was rebuilt is the Wolf Creek Bio-Tech Facility, which looked to be located deep in the Pacific Northwest.

It's my contention that Wolf Creek feeds into Wolf Lake.
Back in 2001, 'Wolf Lake' was a short-lived CBS series about a secluded small town north of Seattle which was populated by wolfen - highly evolved werewolves. Nothing about the series violated the premise of Toobworld and so it remains located on Earth Prime-Time.

Wolf Lake can probably be found in the world of 'The Bionic Woman', but that's not to say the general populace of the area has to be wolfen in nature there. And even if they were, I wouldn't be surprised if the powers that be running the bio-tech facility didn't learn about them in the course of their investigations into the area's viability as a research site. And they seem to be ruthless enough to have "neutralized" the indigent wolfen population so they wouldn't ever be a threat to their compound.

I've programmed MacDivver to pick up this week's episode of 'The Bionic Woman', but I know it's not going to be 'Must See TV' for little old me. Eventually another show will come along in that time slot to be of more interest to me.

I'm thinking that'll happen around February of 2008.....

BCnU!
Toby OB